United States contributes US$4.5 million to combat acute food insecurity in Malawi

The funds, provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), will enable WFP to provide assistance in the form of cash-based transfers in Chikwawa and Phalombe districts of the Southern Region, Dedza district in the Central Region, and Karonga district in the Northern Region, which are among the country’s most food insecure.

 “The US is steadfast in its support of vulnerable Malawians facing hunger during the lean season,” said Littleton Tazewell, USAID Malawi Mission Director. “We recognise the long-standing expertise of WFP and its partners in providing life-saving relief at times like these.”

Over 1 million Malawians need assistance through March next year, part of the record 45 million people who will be severely hungry across the 16-nation Southern African Development Community at the height of the current lean season. Prolonged dry spells and flooding from Cyclone Idai in March adversely impacted crops during the growing season in fragile areas of Malawi ahead of last April’s harvest. Rising prices of maize, the staple, are compounding the challenge of access to food for the most at-risk families.

“The generous support of the American people will help ensure that many of those most in need in Malawi will not go to bed hungry during this unprecedented regional food crisis,” said Benoit Thiry, WFP Representative and Country Director in Malawi.

The United States is one of the largest donors to WFP’s humanitarian and development programmes in Malawi, contributing over US$28 million in 2018 and 2019. “Together, we have helped communities build resistance to the impacts of climate change,” said Mr. Thiry.

Notes for media

About WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme - saving lives in emergencies and changing lives for millions through sustainable development. WFP works in more than 80 countries around the world, feeding people caught in conflict and disasters and laying the foundations for a better future. For more information about WFP and its work in Malawi visit:

www1.wfp.org/countries/malawi or follow us on Twitter @WFP_media or @WFP_Malawi

About USAID

On behalf of the American people, we promote and demonstrate democratic values abroad, and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world. In support of America's foreign policy, the U.S. Agency for International Development leads the U.S. Government's international development and disaster assistance through partnerships and investments that save lives, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance, and help people emerge from humanitarian crises and progress beyond assistance. 

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